Shae
Shae is a major character in A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones. Originally a whore first met as she worked as a camp follower in Tywin Lannister's host, Shae became the lover of Tyrion Lannister whom he took to the court at King's Landing. Whilst in the books Shae is only concerned about Tyrion's wealth, the TV series shows their relationship is one of love. In season 4 of the show and A Storm of Swords, ''she betrays and humiliates Tyrion by testifying that he did kill Joffrey and sleeps with his father, Tywin. The TV series depicts her as more villainous in this light as she was blackmailed and coerced into falsely testifying in the books whilst ''Game of Thrones shows she did it out of revenge and attacked Tyrion (whereas in the novel Tyrion strangled her out of revenge). She was portrayed by German actress Sibel Kikelli. History Shae ran off when her father attempted to turn her into his kitchen wench and his whore. In the books, she is short and around 18 years old. In the TV series, her age is not stated but she is considerably older. ''A Song of Ice And Fire'' In the novels, Shae is a much less sympathetic and more opportunistic character. Whilst Tyrion is evidently smitten with her, the relationship is clearly one-sided (though Tyrion remains the only one blind to this). Shae is only interested in her how her position can benefit her. She is also considerably younger than her television counterpart, being around eighteen in A Game of Thrones, and twenty by A Feast of Crows. Volume 1 Meeting Tyrion Shae makes her first appearance in A Game of Thrones, as a camp follower. Bronn brings her to Tyrion who wishes for female companionship. He sleeps with her both before and after the Battle of the Green Fork and takes a liking to her. Following a victory in the Battle of the Green Fork, Tyrion is made acting Hand of the King by his father Tywin Lannister. Tywin had been named as Hand to his grandson, Joffrey Baratheon (the reason was to have Tywin fighting Stannis and Renly), but due to the war, he must remain with his army in the field to engage against Robb Stark and the armies of the Riverlands. Tywin forbade Tyrion taking Shae to court. Tyrion complains about his father to Shae, then decides to defy his order, much to her delight. Volume 2 New Life in King's Landing In A Clash of Kings, Tyrion takes great care to make sure as few people as possible know who and what Shae is. Naturally, of course, Varys finds out but he is one of the few who does not betray this information. Tyrion originally sets Shae up in a house in the city, but after helping Chataya get revenge on a man who wronged her, the later sets Shae up at one of her manse's. This coupled with information about a secret passage to and from the brothel, enables Tyrion to visit Shae whenever he desires, under the pretext of teaching Chataya's daughter Alayaya to read. Given time, Tyrion comes to genuinely love Shae and is able to overcome the trauma brought about by the end of his previous marriage to Tysha (unaware at the time that things were not what they appeared to be). Despite Tyrion's best efforts, however, some people discover the nature of his relationship with Shae. As well as Varys, the singer Symon Silver Tongue spots Tyrion entering the manse and works out what the later's relationship is to Tyrion. Although Tyrion is able to scare Symon off for the time being the pair decide to keep an eye on him. An even scarier encounter comes shortly before the Battle of The Blackwater. Cersei, who knows that Tyrion has been conspiring against her since he came to Kings Landing (although he is acting in the interests of the Lannisters, and the Realm, whilst Cersei is only acting in her own selfish interests) mistakes Alayaya for Tyrion's whore. She has the girl beaten up by the Kettleback brothers. Tyrion pretends to be horrified by this but is pleased that Cersei did not find Shae, whilst Alayaya plays along with it. Whilst Tyrion is able to outmanoeuvre Cersei on this particular occasion, by threatening Tommens safety, the very notion of what she has done prompts Tyrion to deliver one of the greatest threats he has ever made. Tyrion returns to his room and finds Shae there alive and safe, having been escorted there blindfolded by Varys. In order to keep her close but avoid making Cersei suspicious, he has finds her a job at the Red Keep as a maid to Lolly's Stokeworth, so that he can continue seeing her regularly. Volume 3 Continued Romance By A Storm of Swords, things are looking bleak for Tyrion who since the return of his father Tywin has lost much of his power and influence. This coupled with the lack of gratitude he receives for his actions at the Battle of Blackwater Bay, makes Shae one of the few remaining comforts in his life. This is itself thrown into jeopardy when Tywin orders Tyrion to marry Sansa Stark. The marriage is political and completely loveless, with Shae continuing to bed Tyrion. Shae herself continues to operate as a maid, confident that Tyrion will follow his father's instructions and that he will continue his relationship with her once Sansa is pregnant. Shae shows no passion or consideration towards Sansa, who notes that Shae frequently glares at her, and the Stark girl is completely unsure as to why. Having lost much of his influence and power, Tyrion remains concerned for Shae's wellbeing and safety since Tywin threatens to hang the next whore he finds in Tyrion bed. When Symon returns and tries to blackmail Tyrion, via his song 'Hand's of Gold' Tyrion arranges for Bronn to have the singer killed. As a result of this encounter, Tyrion decides to wed Shae off to a Hedge Knight rather than send her away so that they can continue seeing each other. Before he can make the arrangements, however, the Purple Wedding takes place and Tyrion is wrongfully arrested for murder. Betrayal Shae does not reappear until the last day of the trial as Cersei's final witness. Tyrion is initially surprised to see her, since his conviction is more or less guaranteed at this point (thanks to his sister's manipulations and the treacherous nature of the citizens of King's Landing), and he is confident that Shae knows nothing that could possibly condemn him. When she starts speaking, however, Tyrion quickly realises that Shae's testimony is not meant to condemn but to humiliate him. As Tyrion watches on shocked and horrified, Shae reveals her true colours and lies brazenly before the entire court. She insists that the murder of Joffrey was plotted between Sansa and Tyrion and was merely the first in a string of murders that included Cersei, Tywin and Tommen amongst others. When asked how she knows all this Shae claims that she overheard the couple plotting. Weeping crocodile tears, she claims that she was originally a sweet, innocent girl that Tyrion kidnapped and turned into his whore by repeatedly molesting her. She even goes so far as to reveal her pet name for him "My Giant Lannister". Shae did not know it yet, but her decision to betray and humiliate Tyrion would prove to be a fatal mistake, for herself and others. When the court bursts into laughter at the mention of his pet name Tyrion is beside himself with rage, contemplating how he saved all these people from Stannis Baratheon at the Battle of the Blackwater, only for them to turn on him for a King that they all hated and despised. Shouting over the court Tyrion manages to get his fathers attention. He then tells his judges and the court to "Get this lying whore out of my sight" before he will give them his confession. His refusal to address Shae by name suggests that he has now lost all romantic interest in her. Shae, herself, is immediately surrounded and escorted out by a group of Gold Cloaks. As she is led past him, Shae's eyes meet those of her spurned lover. Tyrion glares at her coldly and is pleased to recognise fear in her eyes but says nothing. Having seen Shae's true character and knowing she would not do anything for free, he suspects that she was offered a bribe from Cersei in exchange for her testimony (see below in A Feast for Crows). As he wonders what that offer included, Tyrion mentally notes to himself that Shae would get any gold or jewellery she asked for since these things are small and insignificant to Cersei. He takes full satisfaction in knowing that if Shae was foolish enough to accept any other offer or ask for anything else she is in for a huge disappointment. Aware of his sister's treacherous nature, Tyrion knows full well that Cersei will renege on the promise first chance she gets, and by the time the moon turns Shae will be entertaining the Gold Cloaks in their barracks. Shae is absent for Tyrion's confession and subsequent trial by combat. Death After being broken out of the Black Cells by his brother Jaime, Tyrion is devastated when his older brother confesses that his wife Tysha, was not a whore as Tywin claimed but a commoner that genuinely loved him. Filled with rage at this Tyrion goes to confront his father, after being directed towards a secret passage by Varys. Arriving at the Tower of the Hand, Tyrion approaches the bed that was once his own, where he finds Shae lying naked in it, wearing only a golden chain around her neck, his father's chain of office. Fearing for her life, Shae tries to placate Tyrion, insisting that Tywin and Cersei forced her to testify against him and that she did not mean the things she said (again see below). Tyrion however, is unmoved by this plea and asks whether any of their encounters were based on genuine affection. Shae assures Tyrion that they were and "affectionately" calls him "My Giant Lannister". Tyrion says nothing but stares coldly at her for a split second. He then notes to himself that using the pet name that drew so much laughter and humiliation at his trial was the worst thing she could have done. Grabbing the chain of interlinking hands, Tyrion twists it violently. Ignoring Shae's thrashing, he starts to chant 'Hand's of Gold', whilst continuing to choke the woman who betrayed him. Twisting the chain a second time, he holds on tightly until Shae finally dies, ironically killing the whore he found in his father's bed, just as Tywin threatened to do to him. Tyrion proceeds to murder Tywin shortly afterwards, both for what he did to Tysha and for mocking Tyrion further by bedding Shae. In a differentiation from the TV Series, Tyrion in the novel murders Shae in cold blood, and although he later admits to missing her, he does not regret nor show any remorse for what he did. In the Game of Thrones TV show, however (see below), Tyrion acted in self-defence and due to emotional distress. Volume 4 Discovery and Aftermath Shae's purple-faced corpse is found the next morning in A Feast for Crows, alongside Tywin's. Cersei knows who she is, but is more surprised to find Shae lying naked in her father's bed. Disgusted by the whore's presence Cersei tells the Kettleblack brothers to remove her body via the secret passage, stating she does not care what they do with it. She also tells them that nobody is to mention that Shae was ever there under penalty of losing their tongues. As the brothers wrap Shae's body in a blanket, the Queen Mothers recall's her final encounters with the whore. It's is confirmed that Tyrion's assumptions were correct and that Shae was at the very least partially lying just before he murdered her. Cersei had indeed offered Shae a bribe in exchange for her false testimony, promising her a manse in the city and finding her a knight to marry. That being said, so far as we know, Cersei never said that Shae needed to humiliate Tyrion as she did. Karma was swiftly dealt, however. As Tyrion correctly predicted, when Shae came to Cersei the evening before Tyrion's trial by combat, asking for what was promised to her Cersei broke her promise. The Queen Mother told the whore flat out that she would not receive anything until she helped Cersei find Sansa Stark (who had disappeared in the confusion following Joffrey's murder). Shae, of course, was just as confused about Sansa's disappearance as anybody else and had no information to offer. Realising that she had been used, had no way of acquiring any information about Sansa and no way to contest Cersei's actions, Shae left in tears empty-handed. Shae's lifeless body was then removed from the scene, wrapped in a blanket. It is unknown what the brothers did with her remains afterwards, but it's most likely that the body was burned. In the end, Shae's own greed and jealousy became her death. ''Game of Thrones'' Shae is a camp-follower whom Bronn, a sellsword in the service of Tyrion Lannister, finds as per Tyrion's request. She is attached to a ginger-haired Knight, but Bronn "persuades" him to give her up to Tyrion Lannister, who is fighting with the army of Lannister in the Riverlands. He is charmed by her immediately. He tells her he wants the truth, but also that he wants her to act as if she wants him and that it's their last night on earth together. Tyrion plays a drinking game with her and Bronn in an attempt to learn more about Shae's past, but she refuses to reveal specifics. Tyrion tells her that he thinks her mother was a whore and her father deserted them, she says emphatically that he is wrong, and she doesn't want to speak of them. He seems more on the mark when he talks of her ambitions until he gets to the part of saying she was low born, she indicates he is wrong, thus she was not low-born. Shae deflects Tyrion's questions and learns about his past instead, particularly the incident involving his marriage to Tysha. When Tyrion was 16, he fell in love and secretly married a young wheelwright's daughter whom he helped protect from two rapers, but the girl turned out to be a prostitute hired by Jaime Lannister to make a man of him. When Tywin Lannister found out he had the marriage annulled and had the girl gang-raped by his guards. Shae's response is that he should have known she was a whore, as a girl doesn't invite another man into her bed after almost being raped. Following a victory in the Battle of the Green Fork, Tyrion is made acting Hand of the King by his father Tywin Lannister. Tywin had been named as Hand to his grandson, Joffrey Baratheon (the reason was to have Tywin fighting Stannis and Renly), but due to the war he must remain with his army in the field to engage against Robb Stark and the armies of the Riverlands. Tywin forbade Tyrion taking Shae to court. Tyrion complains about his father to Shae, then decides to defy his order, much to her delight. In King's Landing, Shae becomes the handmaiden to Sansa Stark as to avoid attention from Cersei or Tywin. Despite the intermediate distrustfulness between the two they eventually become close friends and confidantes, once she even threatens a handmaiden with death so she wouldn't tell Cersei that Sansa had bled. A whore named Ros is mistaken for Shae and kidnapped and beaten by her guards. During the Battle of the Blackwater, Tyrion is almost killed by Kingsguard Ser Mandon Moore but Shae remains faithful to him though encourages to leave King's Landing with her, though he refuses and they continue their secret relationship. As time passes, Shae remains the only person in Sansa's service who is not a spy for Cersei. However, when she learns that Tyrion is to wed Sansa, her attitude towards the former changes. In the Shae, is genuinely in love with Tyrion - stating as much to Varys' face when he offers her a bag of diamonds in order to let her start a new life across the Narrow Sea. Although Tyrion is being forced into the marriage against his will, it does mean that Tyrion will see Shae less and less as a result of it. As such Shae makes it very clear she will not continue to sleep with him, despite Tyrion's reassurance that he loves her, he even offers gifts to that effect. Whilst she is pleased that Tyrion does not consummate his marriage with Sansa, Shae's jealousy lingers. As the Royal Wedding between Joffrey Baratheon and Margaery Tyrell approaches, Tyrion refuses to sleep with Shae; claiming he is under a lot of pressure. This results in a heated exchange between the two, during which Shae realises Tyrion talked with Varys about having her shipped across the Narrow Sea. She leaves in a huff, unaware that one of Cersei's spies has heard the whole thing and immediately heads off to report this to Cersei. At the wedding breakfast ceremony, Cersei tells her father Tywin who Shae is, the later ordering Shae to be brought to the Tower of the Hand before the wedding. Varys catches wind of this, and after reminding Tyrion of his father's threat to hang the next whore he found in Tyrion's bed urges the later to send Shae to safety. After careful consideration (and perhaps recalling what his father did to his first wife Tysha), Tyrion arranges safe transportation for Shae. Whilst Shae says she is willing to fight Tywin and Cersei alongside Tyrion, the dwarf, desperate to save her, insults Shae saying that he never really cared for her and calling her whore. Shae breaks down and slaps Bronn who Tyrion explains will escort her to a waiting ship. Shortly before Joffrey Baratheons death at his wedding ceremony, Bronn assures Tyrion that Shae got on the boat and that no one will be able to follow her now. This was not the final appearance of Shae however, as she returned as the final witness to the crown. How she returned to Kings Landing and why she agreed to testify is not explained, but the most widely accepted theory is she was found by Cersei's agents and wants revenge on Tyrion. In her testimony, Shae lies to the court claiming that she overheard Tyrion and Sansa planned the murder of together. She also claims that Tyrion kidnapped her and made her his whore. The reason for the murder she claimed was that Sansa wanted revenge on Joffrey and coerced Tyrion by refusing to sleep with him. When Tyrion pleads for her to stop, Shae simply says "I am a whore remember!" ignoring the fact that Tyrion only acted to save her life. By the end of her testimony, only Oberyn Martell appears unconvinced by her claim, and Cersei smiles with satisfaction that Shae has helped to portray Tyrion as a monster, whilst also humiliating him by revealing personal information. For Shae however, this proves to be a fatal mistake. Although she has got revenge on Tyrion by humiliating him, her former lover is now enraged beyond control. He is not blind to the manipulation at hand, and Shae's betrayal ends his allegiance to House Lannister. With Shae present, he snaps angrily at the court calling them out on their injustice. When Tyrion tells Cersei that "Watching your vicious bastard die, gave me more relief than a thousand lying whores" he effectively tells the entire court that that's what Shae is. Shae stays silent but did appear genuinely hurt by this remark. When Tyrion is broken out of prison by Jaime, the emotionally distraught Lannister decides to confront his father Tywin one last time before leaving. Upon entering the Tower of the Hand, he hears a commotion coming from the bed and a feminine voice saying, "Tywin, my lion". A tired looking Shae sits up wearing nothing but the gold chain Tyrion had gifted her. Shae quickly shakes off her drowsiness and the former lovers stare at each other, surprised. Perhaps fearing what Tyrion might do to her, Shae then lunges for a nearby fruit knife, prompting Tyrion to pounce on her. The pair struggle for the knife, with Tyrion eventually knocking it away. Their struggle continues, however, with Shae slapping Tyrion multiple times across the face. Driven by his rage at everything that has happened to him, including Shae's betrayal, Tyrion grabs the chain and twists it violently. As she starts choking, Shae slaps Tyrion hard across the face, in a desperate bid to save herself, knocking him off the bed and unintentionally sealing her fate. Though hurt by the impact Tyrion (no doubt running on adrenaline) does not relinquish his grip and pulls Shae down with him, further tightening his hold. This leaves Shae lying on her back, her head hanging over the side, the 'nooses' unrelenting grip cutting off the blood and air to her brain. Unable to move or defend herself any longer, all Shae can do is whimper feebly, her body spasming until she expires. In a completely ironic twist and mockery of Tywin's threat, an emotionally upset Tyrion has 'hanged' the whore Shae that was lying in his father's bed. Only when it is too late, does Tyrion realise what he has done, and genuinely remorseful he apologises to Shae's corpse. He then confronts his father as intended, admitting to what he has just done and of his love for Shae. When an unrepentant and uncaring Tywin calls Shae a whore one too many times for his own good, Tyrion murders his father in vengeance before making his escape. Whilst Tywin is given a grand funeral, the fate of Shae's body is never revealed and her name is not spoken again in Kings Landing afterwards. Initially, following his escape Tyrion feels extreme regret for what he did to Shae, going so far as to tell Varys he murdered her with his bare hands. Given time, however, he appears to move on from her and she was never mentioned again. Gallery Videos Game of Thrones - Epic Tyrion speech during trial Tyrion kills Shae and Tywin- Game of Thrones S04E10 Trivia *In the books, Shae is Westerosi, while in the TV series she is Lorathi. The reason of this change was to explain Sibel Kekilli's accent who sounded too foreign for the Westerosi characters. 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